Chance Meetings and Delays
by pingo1387
Summary: Modern-day AU. Six months after the incident, Sanji and Usopp happen to meet two certain young women. SanUso, NaVi. One-shot.


**Quick background story: Sanji and Usopp stopped three would-be robbers at a bank where Nami worked as a teller. Six months have passed since then.**

* * *

"Yeah—yes . . . okay, great! Then we'll meet there tomorrow at nine? Great, thank you!"

Usopp hung up and turned around with a grin. "I got a commission! I'm meeting with the client tomorrow to work out details!"

"Excellent!" Sanji exclaimed, glancing back as he stirred the vegetables in the pan. "I forgot to ask, how was your day?"

"Usual—there was a glitch with the website, took about an hour to fix, but that's about all that happened. You?" Usopp went to the drawers to set the table.

"All the same," Sanji said, adding oil. "Grouchy patrons, sweet ones, not too many of either . . . some _beautiful_ ladies . . ."

"Oh?" Usopp muttered, looking away.

"But I'm lucky, because I get to come home to the prettiest of them all," Sanji added, grinning even as his back faced Usopp.

"Hey," Usopp exclaimed. "You're way prettier."

"You must not be looking in the right mirrors. Don't forget the silverware."

"Right . . ."

* * *

The following morning, Usopp got off at his stop just in time and hurried to his destination. He opened the door cautiously and sat on a chair in the lobby.

"Mr. Usopp?"

He looked up to see a strikingly pretty woman facing him. She wore a long gold skirt over chestnut skin, and her blue hair was knotted in a bun, strands framing her face in the front.

"That's me," Usopp said, standing and nearly tripping. "You're Ms. Vivi?"

"That's me," Vivi replied with a smile. "The children aren't here yet, so we have time to look at our options."

She led him into the main room of the daycare, where the organized toys and crayons and markers would inevitably be strewn about by noon. Usopp was taken around the room as they discussed the painting's subject matter, colors, and possible placements.

"Nami has a good eye for these sorts of things," she said absently. "Only she's at work . . ."

"Pardon?" Usopp said.

"Oh, I'm sorry—my girlfriend," Vivi said hastily.

"Oh!"

Vivi smiled. "She's very good at decorating . . . er, anyway, if we can narrow down where the painting could go, I was thinking we could ask the kids for their opinion . . ."

* * *

The redhead seated herself in the chair in front of Sanji and faced the mirror as he wet a comb and began brushing her long hair.

"How's your day going, miss?" he asked, as was customary of a stylist.

"Fine, thanks," the woman replied, shifting. "We've met before, haven't we?"

"What?" Sanji said, startled.

"At the bank."

Sanji studied her freckled face in the mirror and his eyes widened. "You were the teller!"

"Still am," she agreed. "Though you'd think I'd have gotten a promotion, it's been six months since then."

"I see, I see," Sanji said with a smile. "Good to see you! You're looking lovely as ever."

"Did you break up with that boyfriend of yours or something?"

"Of course not!"

"And my girlfriend and I are still together," she said with some finality.

". . . Right."

As it turned out, she only wanted a few inches from the bottom, to get rid of split ends and whatnot. Sanji was happy to do the job, though he had to take off a little more than expected to suit the length of her locks.

"Your name?" he asked.

"Nami. You?"

"Sanji."

When he finally finished, she stood, stretched, and went to pay, giving him a bright smile and a thank-you. He gave her a goofy grin in response.

* * *

"Guess who I met today," Sanji said. "At work."

"Zoro?" Usopp guessed. "Not that he ever gets his hair done, I'm pretty sure he cuts it himself."

"Just like a barbarian," Sanji agreed. "And no, he's still doing whatever it is he does on Saturdays. He doesn't even have to work, why does he go to the—? I'm getting off-track. It was the bank teller."

Usopp frowned.

"From that time, when those three loons tried to stage a robbery," Sanji clarified. "Redhead, freckles . . ."

"Oh, her!" Usopp exclaimed.

"She's as lovely as ever," Sanji sighed.

"Didn't she mention a girlfriend?"

"Yes," Sanji said, throwing him a look. "And she felt the need to bring it up this time, too."

"Good."

"Her name's Nami," Sanji added. "I wonder if—"

"Nami?" Usopp exclaimed. "Oh, my god, the client I met with, she mentioned she was dating someone named Nami!"

"Really?" Sanji exclaimed. "Wow, what are the odds—what's her name?"

"Vivi."

Sanji raised an eyebrow. "Huh . . . couldn't be the same one."

"What?"

"Nothing." Sanji went to the stove, bringing a pan down and turning on the burner. "Can you get out the sausage?"

* * *

"So, um."

Two months had passed since the initial meetings, and Usopp had now finished his painting and was helping Vivi hang it.

"Turns out my boyfriend met your girlfriend the other month," he said with a grin.

"Did he?" Vivi exclaimed. "Oh, how interesting—maybe we should all get together sometime! Nami did mention she met 'the weirdo from the bank—'" She looked at Usopp, eyes widening. "Does that mean you and your boyfriend were the ones who stopped that robbery she told me about?"

"We were!" Usopp exclaimed proudly. "The criminals are behind bars now!"

"That's wonderful!" Vivi exclaimed. "We really should get together sometime—I'll give you my number!"

* * *

"And then by the time I was walking away, I realized she'd forgotten to give me her number," Usopp finished.

"Oh, too bad," Sanji said in disappointment. "I'll ask Ms. Nami if I see her again . . ."

* * *

It was another two months before Nami returned to the salon, and yet another two months before everyone could convince her and Vivi to have a dinner date with Sanji, Usopp, and two others.


End file.
